


Catra Bipolar vs C-PTSD/BPD

by cronaisawriter



Series: Misc Analysis [7]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Character Analysis, Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Meta, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicide, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 12:31:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20258152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cronaisawriter/pseuds/cronaisawriter
Summary: My view on the idea of rather Catra shows a presentation of bipolar disorder.Based on a request that reads:Did you see that Noelle said she has bipolar, and some people are saying that Noelle may have put some bipolar tendencies on Catra? I was looking forward to seeing your take on this!From anon





	Catra Bipolar vs C-PTSD/BPD

**Author's Note:**

> Discussions of suicide and child abuse.  
Please note I am not saying either C-PTSD & BPD or Bipolar disorder are worse to experience or putting either as more "real". This only discusses that they are different. 
> 
> I'm not a licenced psychiatrist, but I do work with trauma peer support systems, meaning I have to stay educated on subjects of trauma and connected disorders/after effects., and have personal experience with these things and discussed with professionals.

I don't Think Catra presents as having a Bipolar disorder. I think her symptoms are fully explained by C-PTSD/BPD and developmental trauma issues.

First and most important I don't see manic episodes, nor hypomanic if we include Bipolar type II. Mania isn't something that changes over short bursts as we see with the extreme emotions catra has. The emotions happen so quickly and with usually pretty obvious queues which show a more BPDish type reaction.

I don't see a euphoria really, she does feel good about things but not in this extreme states. I don't really see severely disorganized behaviour or like hyperactivity also a manic criterion. Even when she has energy and impulsiveness it's not hyperproductive behaviour. I don't think I see excessive energy either, she gets hyper, yes but she tends to have normal like energy and exhaustion patterns, even if her emotions are super big.

Impulse issues, irritability, paranoia, lack of regulation are also C-PTSD and BPD things. And without a lot of other manic symptoms, I don't think it looks like Bipolar. We get some of the hyperfocus on revenge but again that classic C-PTSD. Then some more disorganized behaviours like I said they show up near the end of seasons 2 and 3 but they are both directly after a traumatic event and aren't really presenting as manic in a traditional sense as they lack any positive emotions.

Paranoia is also warranted in the horde tbh, but I still see her as hypervigilant more so than paranoia. Those these are super connected in presentation and it's on a physiological and where they come from that is the main difference. It also has to do with how the thoughts are based. Hers are fear of being attacked and abused by her abusers, which is a PTSD thing not really a Bipolar thing.

Hypomania is maybe a bit more close to her behaviour. But I also see not a lot of positive emotions. We also see that anytime she talks about herself in a grandiose way we know and she knows its a performance. It's always manipulation from a place of poor self-esteem, not really up and down over extended time. It goes back and forth based on who she is with. Which is super BPD related, and it's plain emotional masking which is something literally everyone does when under stress. And the horde also conditions this. We can also see this as a direct reaction to Adora's treatment.

While she is impulsive I wouldn't say she is disinhibited. She shows much more of abuse survivors protectiveness until we see the start of the season. But this is moe from a place of emotional inward collapse and numbing out a classic trauma and BPD thing and is not accompanied by an uptick in engagement, energy and positive emotions. When she does start to feel happy it's as a result of a connection and winning, and this is quickly pulled down. Again this is the strongest case I guess right here of a mixed state and Bipolar in general.

The closest in Bipolar terms would be a mixed episode. but I think C-PTSD/trauma and suicide attempt explain season 3 just bottoming out of hope, and BPD has erratic behaviour so does C-PTSD. Her breakdown makes me think of BPD in the kind of deep emptiness and emotional impermanence. She goes from her one time being happy to the most terrible I have ever felt, which I feel from a place of C-PTSD and BPD dysregulation. Hopelessness and a struggle to form a system of meaning also comes with C-PTSD and with catra we see her constant struggle to find them, losing another one after having her abusive mother choose her sister again, would trigger this feeling in full drive which she has been struggling with already in a more extreme state after her mother's betrayal and Hordak like almost killing her.

A fuck everything and its mother attitude with hopelessness in Bipolar usually come with a Major depressive episode.

So now Looking at just depression I do see this in catra. But Bipolar disorder you are looking at something that would match an episode of major depression and then a switch out of this. Catra does not have this

I think it's C-PTSD and BPD which both include depressed mood as symptoms. The depression symptoms we have are loss of hope, suicide attempt, possibly sleep issues, some problems with feelings good emotions, irritability and anxious thoughts. Most of these are connected with C-PTSD and BPD's symptoms all on their own. I do think there is depression catra has maybe more along persistent low-grade depression lines? I'm not a super expert on depression diagnosis sorry.

But what is missing is differences in psychomotor activity, lack of energy (outside of appropriate times like battles), lethargic movement (she is really out there kicking ass), a kind of sad/despondent, issues with food (weight gain and loss is a diagnostic criterion). And with Bipolar the huge thing missing is a pendulum swing from depression to manic, I also do not see episodes with either which can sometimes happen with Bipolar disorder.

So overall I think she doesn't fit the main part of Bipolar disorder which is having to well polar episodes of behaviour. People who are seeing things must understand that even with mixed episodes you aren't going to have a blend of symptoms like this. Mixed episodes still have a predominant effect state with a few aspects from the other extreme state. Common is being manic but with suicidal thoughts. Bipolar people aren't emotionally reactive, this is a frustrating misnomer because these long term emotional episodes are draining and hard to explain when you can't experience the whole range of feelings. Also, Catra is widely called moody (which is unfair to BPD but give me a sec) which plays into Bipolar as just moods instead of a lager affect states. Thoughts, behaviours, and physiological feelings along with emotions are a part of mania.

Catra is reactive in short bursts, it is emotional reactivity issues. The dysregulation seems more common to just not having control of them versus these huge long term episodes. Many of her more prominent symptoms that relate to more severe mental unwell really point more to trauma reactions and issues that are highly connected to this.

Examples of these symptoms:

  1. Abandonment issues
  2. All or nothing connection with others
  3. Attachment insecurity
  4. Black and white thinking 
  5. Codependency
  6. Control issues
  7. Dissociation
  8. Hypervigilance/hyperarousal
  9. Identity issues
  10. Impaired ability to verbalize emotions
  11. Isolation
  12. Lack of self-preservation
  13. Lack of belief systems
  14. Need for approval from authority figures
  15. Panic attacks linked with trauma
  16. Preoccupation with abusers
  17. Preoccupation with life being unfair
  18. Splitting

I believe viewing this through the lens of trauma-based issues and possibly a personality disorder give the most logical explanation of her mental health issues and the example of Bipolar disorder does not fit most of her symptoms and you do have be trying to fit her into that symptom criteria or to not understand how the symptoms usually manifest. I recognize histories of abuse influence how Bipolar is linked and having the disorder can make traumatization more likely, but I still don't think this is the best explanation.

If the author says she purposely wrote her as Bipolar I would give another look, of course, I respect other people using characters to tell stories they relate to. Though I would still say that she would still be really atypical. And I do stand by her symptoms greatly showing reactions to trauma. Also, I'll mention that BPD is highly comorbid with PTSD and links to insecure attachment and trauma have been shown to possibly even be causal.

So author fun fact time I have developmental C-PTSD, BPD along with some other trauma-based issues and was misdiagnosed as Bipolar for years. The main thing clinicians saw in me that changed this was that my behaviour was much more of a moment to moment dysregulation and consistent patterns across time, but after an extreme episodes (trauma and mistreatment was the base here) everyone jumped to Bipolar.

**Author's Note:**

> What do all of you think? Do you think I missed something important or have corrections on anything?
> 
> Can't wait to here from you.


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